Karen Hanson Kotoske, co-founder of Amistad International, Palo Alto, Calif., was named the 2007 Woman of the Year for Philanthropic Excellence by the international Association of Adventist Women. She was one of six women honored in as many categories at the Oct. 27 ceremony in Silver Spring, Md.

Incorporated in 1982 as an independent, not-for-profit entity, AAW seeks "to foster the participation of women in varied leadership roles in Seventh-day Adventist organizations, congregations, and communities" (AAW website).

"I was stunned," said Kotoske. "I think there should have been a whole lot of people ahead of me. I was excited to name ... the women on the ground around the world that are working on our projects. They are all Mother Teresas. I'm just the airport tower—as funds come in, the projects are carried out by these heroes."

From the time she was nine years old, Kotoske wanted to do something for God. But in college she stopped attending church. It was her husband, a member of another denomination, who encouraged her to investigate her church heritage. She started going to church again "and the Lord found me through service," she says.

In 1980, while visiting her brother, a medical student doing field work in Mexico, Kotoske climbed into Pastor Bill Baxter's small plane for an afternoon visit to a clinic for the Huichol (pronounced hwee-CHOLE) Indians. That day she saw people who had no food and she was deeply affected. Back home, she and her husband, Thomas, formed the Amistad Foundation "to do a little bit of good." The name was later changed to Amistad International as their programs expanded worldwide.

On her own, she returned unannounced to a Huichol village with a Polaroid camera, a ball and a supply of toothbrushes. She played with the children, made friends with the chief and his wives and learned about the needs of the people.

Dirty water and poor nutrition were the most urgent priorities, and this trained dental hygienist-turned-tireless-entrepreneur catapulted into action. Partnering with established organizations, individuals and the Huichol people, she helped create successful solutions.

Twenty-seven years later, the non-profit charity funds projects in 12 countries with the more than $500,000 Kotoske raises annually. "I actually pray blessings over the software engineers that developed e-mail," she says, reminiscing about the Selectric typewriter days.

"Every singe day something new arrives on e-mail—a new project update or a request for help. It is unbelievably exciting! It's been an incredible walk with God."

For more information about Kotoske's ministry, go to www.amistadinternational.org.